how to overclock cpu

mooseman1976

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I would like to know how to overclock my cpu to get more performance out of it. here are my specs.
System: Host: randy-System-Product-Name Kernel: 5.4.0-96-generic i686 bits: 32 compiler: gcc
v: 7.5.0 Desktop: Xfce 4.14.1 tk: Gtk 3.22.30 wm: xfwm4 dm: LightDM
Distro: Linux Mint 19.3 Tricia base: Ubuntu 18.04 bionic
Machine: Type: Desktop Mobo: ASUSTeK model: P5GC-MX/1333 v: Rev x.xx serial: <filter>
BIOS: American Megatrends v: 0207 date: 08/01/2007
CPU: Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core2 Duo E6550 bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Core Merom
rev: B L2 cache: 4096 KiB
flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 7450
Speed: 1597 MHz min/max: 1998/2331 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1597 2: 1597
Graphics: Device-1: Intel 82945G/GZ Integrated Graphics vendor: ASUSTeK driver: i915 v: kernel
bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:2772
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: intel unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa
resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 945G x86/MMX/SSE2 v: 1.4 Mesa 20.0.8
direct render: Yes
Audio: Device-1: Intel NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio vendor: ASUSTeK P5KPL-VM
driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0 chip ID: 8086:27d8
Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-96-generic
Network: Device-1: Realtek RTL8169 PCI Gigabit Ethernet driver: r8169 v: kernel port: c800
bus ID: 01:01.0 chip ID: 10ec:8169
IF: enp1s1 state: down mac: <filter>
Device-2: Qualcomm Atheros Attansic L2 Fast Ethernet vendor: ASUSTeK driver: atl2
v: 2.2.3 port: c800 bus ID: 02:00.0 chip ID: 1969:2048
IF: enp2s0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Drives: Local Storage: total: 465.76 GiB used: 21.83 GiB (4.7%)
ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Seagate model: ST500DM002-1BD142 size: 465.76 GiB
speed: <unknown> serial: <filter>
Partition: ID-1: / size: 457.45 GiB used: 21.83 GiB (4.8%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
USB: Hub: 1-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 8 rev: 2.0 chip ID: 1d6b:0002
Hub: 2-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 4 rev: 2.0 chip ID: 1d6b:0002
Hub: 3-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0001
Hub: 4-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0001
Hub: 5-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0001
Hub: 6-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0001
Hub: 7-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0001
Device-1: 7-1:2 info: Microsoft Nano Transceiver v1.0 for Bluetooth
type: Keyboard,Mouse,HID driver: hid-generic,usbhid rev: 2.0 chip ID: 045e:0745
Hub: 8-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0001
Hub: 8-1:2 info: Texas Instruments TUSB2046 Hub ports: 4 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 0451:2046
Sensors: System Temperatures: cpu: 38.0 C mobo: N/A
Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Repos: Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list
1: deb cdrom:[Linux Mint 19.3 _Tricia_ - Release i386 20191213]/ bionic contrib main non-free
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-dbgsym-repositories.list
1: deb http: //ddebs.ubuntu.com bionic main restricted universe multiverse
2: deb http: //ddebs.ubuntu.com bionic-updates main restricted universe multiverse
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list
1: deb http: //packages.linuxmint.com tricia main upstream import backport
2: deb http: //archive.linux.duke.edu/ubuntu bionic main restricted universe multiverse
3: deb http: //archive.linux.duke.edu/ubuntu bionic-updates main restricted universe multiverse
4: deb http: //archive.linux.duke.edu/ubuntu bionic-backports main restricted universe multiverse
5: deb http: //security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic-security main restricted universe multiverse
6: deb http: //archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ bionic partner
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-source-repositories.list
1: deb-src http: //packages.linuxmint.com tricia main upstream import backport
2: deb-src http: //archive.linux.duke.edu/ubuntu bionic main restricted universe multiverse
3: deb-src http: //archive.linux.duke.edu/ubuntu bionic-updates main restricted universe multiverse
4: deb-src http: //archive.linux.duke.edu/ubuntu bionic-backports main restricted universe multiverse
5: deb-src http: //security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic-security main restricted universe multiverse
6: deb-src http: //archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ bionic partner
Info: Processes: 161 Uptime: 28m Memory: 1.95 GiB used: 703.7 MiB (35.2%) Init: systemd
v: 237 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 7.5.0 alt: 7 Client: Unknown python3.6 client
inxi: 3.0.32
Can someone help me please? Thank you.
 


Typically this is done is the BIOS/UEFI, not all of them support over-clocking.
Also, even if your UEFI supports it, not all CPUs and GPUs support it.
 
If you clock the processor, you will need to increase the cooling, or you are in danger of burning out the CPU and motherboard,
laptops are not really suitable as there is no room for the extra cooling, desktops you will need a performance CPU cooler and a case fan. Not all cpu's can be over clocked on the Intel Core2 Duo E6550, the multiplier is locked
If it's a desktop your best bet is to get a second hand Core 2 Duo E6850, it's the fastest compatible CPU [90% chance of it working]

 
I would like to know how to overclock my cpu to get more performance out of it. here are my specs.
System: Host: randy-System-Product-Name Kernel: 5.4.0-96-generic i686 bits: 32 compiler: gcc
v: 7.5.0 Desktop: Xfce 4.14.1 tk: Gtk 3.22.30 wm: xfwm4 dm: LightDM
Distro: Linux Mint 19.3 Tricia base: Ubuntu 18.04 bionic
Machine: Type: Desktop Mobo: ASUSTeK model: P5GC-MX/1333 v: Rev x.xx serial: <filter>
BIOS: American Megatrends v: 0207 date: 08/01/2007
CPU: Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core2 Duo E6550 bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Core Merom
rev: B L2 cache: 4096 KiB
flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 7450
Speed: 1597 MHz min/max: 1998/2331 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1597 2: 1597
Graphics: Device-1: Intel 82945G/GZ Integrated Graphics vendor: ASUSTeK driver: i915 v: kernel
bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:2772
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: intel unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa
resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 945G x86/MMX/SSE2 v: 1.4 Mesa 20.0.8
direct render: Yes
Audio: Device-1: Intel NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio vendor: ASUSTeK P5KPL-VM
driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0 chip ID: 8086:27d8
Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-96-generic
Network: Device-1: Realtek RTL8169 PCI Gigabit Ethernet driver: r8169 v: kernel port: c800
bus ID: 01:01.0 chip ID: 10ec:8169
IF: enp1s1 state: down mac: <filter>
Device-2: Qualcomm Atheros Attansic L2 Fast Ethernet vendor: ASUSTeK driver: atl2
v: 2.2.3 port: c800 bus ID: 02:00.0 chip ID: 1969:2048
IF: enp2s0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Drives: Local Storage: total: 465.76 GiB used: 21.83 GiB (4.7%)
ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Seagate model: ST500DM002-1BD142 size: 465.76 GiB
speed: <unknown> serial: <filter>
Partition: ID-1: / size: 457.45 GiB used: 21.83 GiB (4.8%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
USB: Hub: 1-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 8 rev: 2.0 chip ID: 1d6b:0002
Hub: 2-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 4 rev: 2.0 chip ID: 1d6b:0002
Hub: 3-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0001
Hub: 4-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0001
Hub: 5-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0001
Hub: 6-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0001
Hub: 7-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0001
Device-1: 7-1:2 info: Microsoft Nano Transceiver v1.0 for Bluetooth
type: Keyboard,Mouse,HID driver: hid-generic,usbhid rev: 2.0 chip ID: 045e:0745
Hub: 8-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 2 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 1d6b:0001
Hub: 8-1:2 info: Texas Instruments TUSB2046 Hub ports: 4 rev: 1.1 chip ID: 0451:2046
Sensors: System Temperatures: cpu: 38.0 C mobo: N/A
Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Repos: Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list
1: deb cdrom:[Linux Mint 19.3 _Tricia_ - Release i386 20191213]/ bionic contrib main non-free
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-dbgsym-repositories.list
1: deb http: //ddebs.ubuntu.com bionic main restricted universe multiverse
2: deb http: //ddebs.ubuntu.com bionic-updates main restricted universe multiverse
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list
1: deb http: //packages.linuxmint.com tricia main upstream import backport
2: deb http: //archive.linux.duke.edu/ubuntu bionic main restricted universe multiverse
3: deb http: //archive.linux.duke.edu/ubuntu bionic-updates main restricted universe multiverse
4: deb http: //archive.linux.duke.edu/ubuntu bionic-backports main restricted universe multiverse
5: deb http: //security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic-security main restricted universe multiverse
6: deb http: //archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ bionic partner
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-source-repositories.list
1: deb-src http: //packages.linuxmint.com tricia main upstream import backport
2: deb-src http: //archive.linux.duke.edu/ubuntu bionic main restricted universe multiverse
3: deb-src http: //archive.linux.duke.edu/ubuntu bionic-updates main restricted universe multiverse
4: deb-src http: //archive.linux.duke.edu/ubuntu bionic-backports main restricted universe multiverse
5: deb-src http: //security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic-security main restricted universe multiverse
6: deb-src http: //archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ bionic partner
Info: Processes: 161 Uptime: 28m Memory: 1.95 GiB used: 703.7 MiB (35.2%) Init: systemd
v: 237 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 7.5.0 alt: 7 Client: Unknown python3.6 client
inxi: 3.0.32
Can someone help me please? Thank you.
Your hardware will degrade faster.
 
Typically this is done is the BIOS/UEFI, not all of them support over-clocking.
Also, even if your UEFI supports it, not all CPUs and GPUs support it.
OK thank you for your help. I thought it might be worth doing. Guess not. Thank yiou
 
Typically this is done is the BIOS/UEFI, not all of them support over-clocking.
Also, even if your UEFI supports it, not all CPUs and GPUs support it.
OK thank you for your help. I thought it might be worth doing. Guess not. Thank you.
 
If you clock the processor, you will need to increase the cooling, or you are in danger of burning out the CPU and motherboard,
laptops are not really suitable as there is no room for the extra cooling, desktops you will need a performance CPU cooler and a case fan. Not all cpu's can be over clocked on the Intel Core2 Duo E6550, the multiplier is locked
If it's a desktop your best bet is to get a second hand Core 2 Duo E6850, it's the fastest compatible CPU [90% chance of it working]

OK thank you for your help. I thought it might be worth doing. Guess not. Thank you
 
Typically this is done is the BIOS/UEFI, not all of them support over-clocking.
Also, even if your UEFI supports it, not all CPUs and GPUs support it.
OK thank you for your help. I thought it might be worth doing. Guess not. Thank you
 
OK thank you for your help. I thought it might be worth doing. Guess not. Thank you
Doing it from time to time is fine, but you don't want to do it for an extended period of time. Like if you needed to overclock for gaming or for some software for a short period of time is fine. Your hardware will wear out anyways one day if you use it long enouch, it's all up to you. I've overclocked a few times before and everything is still fine.
 
A long time ago, I had an AMD K6-2 350 that I ran OCed to like 433 MHz (pretty impressive at the time) and it was stable while lasting as long as I owned it. It'd run around 450 MHz, but would thermal lock in short order, even with beefier cooling.

To add to the rest:

Your CPU is pretty old. I definitely wouldn't risk it, especially if it's your own device. Not to mention, many of those motherboards didn't support overclocking.
 
mooseman1976 wrote:
I would like to know how to overclock my cpu to get more performance out of it.
You could consider examining the cpu frequency scaling which can control the number of instructions that can be executed over a unit of time by the cpus in your machine. The more instructions that can be executed means that more power will be drawn by the CPU and more heat generated, but there's a performance benefit.

I haven't done this for a long time, but from my notes, the following worked on a debian system at that time, so there's no guarantee being provided for this process now. I haven't tested it recently. You need cpufrequtils installed.

The user needs to determine what the current policy is on the cpu frequency and which governors are available to control the cpu frequency. E.g.
Code:
[tom@owl ~]$ cpufreq-info
cpufrequtils 008: cpufreq-info (C) Dominik Brodowski 2004-2009
Report errors and bugs to [email protected], please.
analyzing CPU 0:
  driver: intel_cpufreq
  CPUs which run at the same hardware frequency: 0
  CPUs which need to have their frequency coordinated by software: 0
  maximum transition latency: 20.0 us.
  hardware limits: 800 MHz - 3.60 GHz
  available cpufreq governors: conservative, powersave, ondemand, userspace, performance, schedutil
  current policy: frequency should be within 800 MHz and 3.60 GHz.
                  The governor "ondemand" may decide which speed to use
                  within this range.
  current CPU frequency is 1.14 GHz.
<snip>

The details above show just the output for the first cpu (number 0) because I have snipped out the other 3 cpus on this machine for the purposes of showing the relevant info.

It's apparent from this output that there are 6 governors of the cpu:
Code:
conservative, powersave, ondemand, userspace, performance, schedutil

and that the one in use (deciding on the speed) is the "ondemand" one. There's an algorithm for each governor and "ondemand" enables some flexibility for the cpu frequency.

It's possible to change this to the "performance" governor with a command such as:
Code:
cpufreq-set -c 0 -g performance
where -c 0 refers to the cpu no. 0, (the first cpu) and -g refers to the new governor to be set. Any or all cpus can be set.

It's also possible to see the range of available frequencies allowed:
Code:
[tom@owl ~]$ cpufreq-info -l
800000 3600000

This information will enable the user to set a frequency of choice between the allowed values for the cpu with a commands such as the following where -d specifies the minimum frequency and, -u the maximum frequency and -c the cpu being set:
Code:
cpufreq-set -c 0 -d <FREQ>
cpufreq-set -c 0 -u <FREQ>

I would strongly advise the user to read the man pages and the kernel docs on this subject before setting any changes and consider the wise comments of others.
 
Just a tip here @mooseman1976 , you do not need to invest in 6 posts to thank people in the same way.

Next time, try something like

@dos2unix @BoringZombie @brickwizard

OK thank you for your help. I thought it might be worth doing. Guess not. Thank you

Cheers

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
 
Generally I do not recommend overclocking - one of the main concerns are incorrect functioning or “silent data corruption”. Studies have showed overclocked computers have a four to 20 times higher chance of crashing due to CPU failure - heat can be a huge issue. Pushing your components to the limit uses A LOT of energy, and since energy causes heat, you are looking at A LOT of heat The other main risk is voltage, in order to achieve higher overclocks you also need to increase the voltage provided to the CPU. Heat is one byproduct of this which is a problem, but the voltage itself could also be a problem. Too high voltage on your CPU can actually fry the chip, killing it.

A lot of people have overclocked their CPU but to me the risk of damage does not warrant the little bit of speed
 

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